Hockey Programs

  1998-99 Regular Season Gears vs. Quad City Mallards Gears vs. Thunder Bay Thunder Cats Gears vs. Port Huron Border Cats      Another year, another new ownership group and rebrand. Saginaw's UHL franchise would now be known as the Saginaw Gears, a nod to the popular IHL franchise that played from 1972-83, winning two Turner Cups and sending multiple players to the NHL. The new owner was Dr. Khaled Shukairy, who also owned the Flint Generals. The team would go with royal blue, orange and white, Edmonton Oilers-style jerseys, and  a modern-looking logo, passing on the turquoise, tangerine and white of the original Gears. Robert Dirk was the new head coach while George Manias was the new general manager. Home games were played at 4,727-seat Wendler Arena (again, no ice-level seats).      Despite the name change and the hype, the new Gears had far more in common with the Lumber Kings than they ever did with their namesake, as they dropped to the base...

This was the only season of Saginaw Gears hockey I did not have in my collection. Cross one off the "white whale" list.... 1978-79 Regular Season Gears vs. Fort Wayne Komets       The Saginaw Gears began their sixth season of play in the International Hockey League (IHL). Led by owner Wren Blair and Head Coach/General Manager Don Perry, the Gears had become one of the more stable franchises on and off the ice in the league. The Gears had been a Turner Cup contender for most of their existence, reaching the Finals three times, winning it all in 1976-77. The team was very popular in Mid-Michigan, as the Gears were frequently near the top of the IHL in average attendance. 1978-79 was no different, as an average of about 4,458 fans per game packed Wendler Arena that year. Stat Sheet from Program    This program is from a Gears-Komets game on Saturday, February 10, 1979. If you go by what is written on the cover, Saginaw won, 5-4. This game was a battle...

1972-73 Regular Season Opening Night Gears vs. Des Moines Capitols      Professional hockey came to Mid-Michigan in 1972 with the arrival of the Saginaw Gears of the International Hockey League. The Gears were an expansion franchise awarded to North Stars executive Wren Blair, and played their home games at the new Wendler Arena, part of the Saginaw Civic Center complex. The team was named after the Saginaw Steering Gear plant, located in Buena Vista on M46, and was a nod to the city's auto industry ties. Blair's choice as head coach was Don Perry, formerly of the Eastern Hockey League. Thanks to Blair's ties to the Minnesota North Stars, the Gears would be a secondary affiliate of that NHL team.      The Gears would take the ice in turqoise and tangerine jerseys featuring the "toothed G" logo you see on the program. Their first regular season game was in Port Huron. Despite a hat trick by forward Juri Kudrasovs, Saginaw fell, 5-4, to the defending cha...

1975-76 Regular Season Gears vs. Port Huron Flags      The Saginaw Gears were in their fourth season of existence and were really starting to get on a roll, on and off the ice. In the previous three seasons, Saginaw reached the Turner Cup Finals, coming within one win of the Cup in 1975. Fans from Saginaw and throughout Mid-Michigan flocked to the Saginaw Civic Center, helping the Gears become one of the hottest tickets not only in the IHL, but in minor-pro hockey. This no doubt pleased President/GM Wren Blair, who retained Head Coach Don Perry      The Gears built on the momentum from the past two seasons by clinching their first-ever North Division championship, with a sparkling 43-26-9 record. Their 95 points put the Gears 12 points ahead of the second-place Port Huron Flags, and 9 back of the Huber Trophy winning Dayton Gems.      Saginaw missed having the IHL's most potent offense by a single goal, as they pumped in 339 in 1975-76....

1977-78 Regular Season Gears vs. Fort Wayne Komets      The Saginaw Gears were the defending Turner Cup Champions heading into the 1977-78 IHL season. Wren Blair continued to run the six-year old franchise as President/GM, while Don Perry was back behind the bench. The Gears were still a secondary affiliate of both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings.      Championship teams often experience numerous call-ups after the season, and the Gears were no different. Coach Perry had to replace players such as leading scorer Paul Evans, future NHL defenseman Greg Hotham and goaltender Mario Lessard. Saginaw also lost forward Wayne Zuk and defenseman Gordie Malinoski to retirement. However, their replacements were more than up to the challenge in 1978. The Gears finished the season with a spectacular 40-28-12 record. Their 92 points clinched the team's third-straight North Division title, 8 points head of the Kalamazoo Wings, and just 5 behind Huber Tr...

1973-74 Regular Season Gears vs. Columbus Owls      The Saginaw Gears were in their second season of existence in the International Hockey League by 1973-74. The Gears were a secondary affiliate of the Minnesota North Stars and were still owned by former North Stars executive Wren Blair. Former EHL tough-guy Don Perry returned behind the bench, and would remain their through 1981. The Gears played their home games at Wendler Arena (now the Dow Event Center).      After a dismal inaugural season, the Gears roster got a bit of a makeover. The core of last year's team, including Dennis Desrosiers, Marcel Comeau, Stu Irving, Mike Hornby and Russ Friesen, returned for Year Two. An offseason trade with the Dayton Gems brought in defenseman Gordie Malinoski, who supplied both experience and brawn (333 PIM).      The Gears  were a much-improved squad in their sophomore season, finishing with a 38-34-4 record. Their 80 point finish was a 17...

1981-82 Regular Season--Gears vs. Toledo Goaldiggers      The Saginaw Gears were in their 10th season of IHL hockey in 1981-82. They were coming off the franchise's second Turner Cup championship thanks to a talent-loaded roster. However, they also had to file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection due to declining attendance and revenue. Longtime owner Wren Blair was out, and Ken MacDonald (of MacDonald Broadcasting) took over the team. The Gears were still a secondary affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings.      There was major roster turnover, as most of the players from the 1980-81 squad were promoted to New Haven of the AHL. The Gears also had a new coach, as Don Perry was promoted as well. To replace Perry, the Gears simply hired star forward Marcel Comeau as player/coach.      If there was anyone that could be considered "Mr. Everything" for the Saginaw Gears, it's Marcel Comeau. He was one of the original Gears players,...

1979-80 Regular Season--Gears vs. Flint Generals      The Saginaw Gears were in their eighth year of existence in 1979-80. The Gears were a secondary affiliate of both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings. Don Perry was Coach/GM and Wren Blair was owner.       After going .500 in 1978-79, the Gears improved to 43-27-10 in '79-80, second place in the North Division. They were just one point ahead of third place Port Huron and three back of league champ Kalamazoo. Saginaw featured the third-best offense in the IHL that year, scoring 349 goals. Rookie sniper Scott Gruhl led the Gears with 53 goals and 93 points--not bad for a rookie season! Warren Holmes, Marcel Comeau and Claude LaRochelle each scored over 30 goals that year, and five other Gears scored at least 20.       Saginaw finished third in the league on defense, allowing 306 goals. They used four different goaltenders that season. Bob Froese, w...

1974-75 Regular Season--Gears vs. Lansing Lancers      1974-75 was the third season of Saginaw Gears hockey. The Gears were coming off a surprise run to the Turner Cup Finals in 1973-74, which they lost to the Des Moines Capitols. Don Perry returned as Coach/GM, and the Gears were a secondary affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, after two seasons in the Minnesota farm system.      Saginaw would build on their Cinderella season by going 43-29-3, third place in the Eastern Division. Their 89 points put them 10 points behind the regular season champions, the Muskegon Mohawks, and ten points ahead of the fourth place Port Huron Flags.      Perry's crew pumped in 302 goals that season, third-highest in the league. They were led on offense by power forward Dennis Desrosiers. "Rosie" scored 44 goals to go along with 80 points and 225 penalty minutes. Stu Irving, a member of the 1972 USA Olympic hockey team, had 32 goals and 76 ...

Covered the Saginaw Gears earlier in this blog, but I wanted to give the 1980-81 season it's own post, since I have two programs from that year. 1980-81 Regular Season--Gears vs. Milwaukee Admirals     The Saginaw Gears were the first pro hockey team in Saginaw. They joined the International Hockey League as an expansion franchise in 1972, owned by former Bruins and North Stars executive Wren Blair. The Gears played their home games at the Saginaw Civic Center's Wendler Arena (now Dow Event Center), built shortly before the team's arrival. Their nickname was a nod to the Saginaw Steering Gear factory, now called Nexteer, on M46 on the east edge of town.      1980-81 was the ninth season of the franchise, which had established itself as one of the elite clubs in the IHL. They had already been to three Turner Cup Finals (1974, 1975, 1977), winning the Cup once (1977). Off the ice, the Gears were very popular in the Tri-Cities, often filling the 5...

     After the Hawks folded, Saginaw was without hockey yet again. This time, the drought would last five years. Cities like Saginaw, Flint, Toledo and Muskegon were eventually too small to compete financially in the IHL, which had grown from Midwest bus league in the 1970s to having teams in Salt Lake City, Denver and Phoenix by the end of the 1980s. An OHL exhibition game was held in Saginaw, but nothing would come of it. When hockey returned to town, it would be in the form of a lower-level minor league, the Colonial League. To say the least, Saginaw's 4-1/2 year run in this league was a roller coaster. 1992-93 Inaugural Game--Wheels vs. Flint      Saginaw's third hockey franchise began in Chatham, Ontario, in 1992. The team was called "Chatham Wheels", named after the Wheels Inn in Chatham. The Wheels played in Chatham Memorial Arena, a building that was once home to an IHL team in the early 1960s and various amateur teams, but was the ...

Note: If you want a thorough, behind-the-scenes history of the Saginaw Gears, check out  SaginawGears.com , an excellent website by Wes Oleszewski, whose dad was the Zamboni driver for the Gears. The Gears were before my time, but that site is a great read.      Saginaw arrived on the pro hockey scene in the summer of 1972, when North Stars GM Wren Blair brought an IHL expansion franchise to the Tri-Cities. The team was called "Saginaw Gears", after the (then) Saginaw Steering Gear plant (now Nexteer). The Gears colors were, how should I say, of their time: tangerine orange, blue and white. The road jerseys were orange with blue and white stripes, while the home jerseys were white with orange and blue stripes. The logo itself was simple, yet sharp: the word "Gears" spelled out, with the G fitted with gear teeth.      I have programs from nearly every season of the Gears. Here are a few of them. Home Opener vs. Des Moines, 1972-73...